Francis Berwick Cates

Francis Berwick Cates, known as “Berwick” to his South Carolina community, “Frank” to his Georgia friends, and “Papa Frank” to his family, passed away peacefully on May 16, 2026, at the age of 96.

Born on August 23, 1929, in Rockville, South Carolina, on Wadmalaw Island, Berwick never stopped thinking of himself as “just a boy from Rockville,” despite a life filled with service, accomplishment, adventure, heartbreak, humor, and deep love for family.

Raised during the Great Depression by a strong Irish family in the close-knit community of Rockville, Berwick learned early that life required grit, hard work, resilience, and determination. The women in his family—his mother, aunt, and grandmother—helped provide the stability and foundation that shaped him. Education mattered deeply to him because he believed it was the path toward opportunity and a better life. Those beliefs stayed with him throughout his life and shaped the way he approached work, success, and providing for his family.

At just 17 years old, with World War II underway and a desire for adventure bigger than the boundaries of Wadmalaw Island, Berwick joined the United States Navy. He proudly served aboard the USS Medregal submarine, beginning what would become a lifetime of stories, experiences, and friendships.

Following his military service, he attended and graduated from Clemson University. He began a long career in agriculture and public service as a County Extension Agent in Charleston County, South Carolina, and later with the University of Georgia in Clarke County, Georgia. He eventually became Vice President of Agricultural Operations for the Southern Frozen Foods Division in Macon County, Georgia, where he earned respect for his practical knowledge, leadership, and tireless work ethic.

Even after retirement, Berwick’s interest in agriculture never faded. He later founded Western Seed Multiplication, Inc. and at one time held a patent for a variety of pea he developed.

Berwick loved plants, gardens, and growing things, and he passed that love down to his children and grandchildren. He could not stand a weed and believed a yard, much like life, should be cared for properly. Whether talking about sunflowers, peas, crops, tomatoes, or lawns, he always had an opinion—and usually expected it to be followed.

After his years in Macon County, Berwick returned to his beloved boyhood home of Rockville, a place that always remained closest to his heart. Berwick became almost as well known for his yard as for his personality. Living across from a church, he could often be found outside pulling weeds while churchgoers walked by on Sunday mornings. Friends and neighbors would laugh and say, “There’s Berwick, praying over his grass again.”

He was known as a spitfire and a fighter well into his nineties, and even at 96, loving caregivers would remark that he still had plenty of spunk left in him. He was charming, funny, flirtatious, opinionated, generous, stubborn, and sometimes a little crass—often all at once. He never met a stranger and rarely left a gathering without everyone knowing exactly who he was. Berwick could charm a room, especially the ladies, and he had a gift for making friends wherever he went.

Despite his strong opinions, Berwick was also surprisingly open-minded. He loved lively conversations, spirited debates, and discussions about politics, current events, religion, and controversial topics with anyone willing to engage. He especially enjoyed those conversations with family and friends and appreciated people who could hold their own in a discussion.

Like most people who live long and full lives, Berwick was not a simple man. His life held both joyful memories and difficult ones, love and hurt, pride and regret. But those who knew him best also knew his loyalty to friends, his devotion to hard work, his determination to provide for his family, and the deep love he shared with Mary Ann. In the end, families carry both the beautiful and complicated parts of love forward together, with honesty, grace, and forgiveness.

Later in life, he moved to Houston County, Georgia, to be closer to family after his wife, Mary Ann, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. He passed away there surrounded by the family who loved him.

He was preceded in death by the mother of his children, Margie Nell Knox Cates in 1984, and his sister, Shirley Rose Cates Meares, in 2009.

He is survived by his wife, Mary Ann Haugabook Cates; his children, Dean Morris Cates (Jenny), Rebecca Florence Cates Moody (Kyle), Charles Berwick Cates, and Edward Mikell Cates; nine grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his stepchildren, William Steven Haugabook, Jr. (Sally) and Kelly Haugabook Beach, and two step-grandchildren, all of whom held an important place in his life.

Berwick’s life stretched from the shell roads and salt air of Rockville to submarines, universities, farms, boardrooms, gardens, and the lives of generations who loved him. Beneath all the titles and accomplishments, he remained what he always claimed to be: just a boy from Rockville.

To hear a personal reading of Frank's obituary from his family, click here. For a look back at a life well-lived, we invite you to view The Life of Frank, a slideshow celebrating his journey. Finally, we've created the Francis Berwick Cates archive where family and friends can revisit cherished photos and videos, and add their own, as a lasting tribute to the man we loved.

McCullough Funeral Home and Crematory has the privilege of being entrusted with these arrangements.